


Kija and the Spider

by ColourlessZero



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 11:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4704386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColourlessZero/pseuds/ColourlessZero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The spider raised its front legs, hair-thin appendages quivering in the air. It was mocking him. He steeled himself and took deep breaths. Hakuryuu Kija will not be defeated by a mere insect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank ladysairine for reading this beforehand. Without her suggestions and help I don't think I would be satisfied enough to post this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this little fic of mine.

“Yun, come back quickly!” Kija prayed. Hands shaking, he bemoaned his current situation and wondered how a day set aside for studying had come to this. It was a tragedy.

That morning, Yona and the others had went out to the beach in search of rock pools after discovering that Shin-ah had never seen sea anemones before. So out towards the sparkling sea they went. Kija was envious. There were many little marine creatures and seaweeds he had wanted to show Shin-ah. The shy boy probably would have liked that.

Exams were only two days away, after all, and Yun had declared, “Work first, play later. Otherwise you’ll only be squirming the whole time, worrying instead of actually enjoying yourself.” Although Yun was the youngest, Kija noticed quickly that he was the most responsible. How can he go out and play when even one as young as Yun understands the merits of working hard? And so he pushed away the nagging temptation to sprint after the others and studied diligently with Yun.

It was one of those rare days when the house was quiet and peaceful. Usually, Zeno would be bouncing off the walls and either Hak or Jae-ha would start bickering with him about something or other. Kija admitted that at times it was rather childish. But with Yona being the only lady in the house it was his duty to protect her from smelly men and perverts with sticky hands. He rested his eyes, savouring the silence when the peace was broken by a strange squeaky sound in the kitchen. That’s odd. He thought the little squirrel, Ao, had gone with Shin-ah.

The squeaking soon escalated into actual audible words, “You rare beasts! What have you guys done to the fridge? I was only gone for a few days!” Even from the living room, Kija could smell that something in the fridge had died and gone to heaven. Only a few moments later Kija heard angry footsteps and Yun stormed into the living room holding a small pot. “Kija, do you know whose this is?” He opened the lid to show a mass of spoiling meat bathed in tainted juices.

Kija almost spat out the water he was drinking. He inhaled sharply and promptly choked on the putrid scent. After a few coughs and splutters he replied, “It’s probably something of Hak’s. Only such an uncouth man can stomach something so smelly.” Fighting against the flush of shame that he could feel rising on his face, he mentally apologised to Hak. It was his favourite beef stew made by Granny herself. He had wanted to make it last as long as possible so he had been saving it for later. Needless to say, he had left the remainder of it uneaten for too long. Perhaps he should have shared it with everyone else so that Granny’s love wouldn’t go to waste.

With a huff the young boy left with his special shopping bag, muttering about rare beasts abusing perfectly fine food.

Ah, so that was how Kija ended up in his current predicament. If only he had finished all of Granny’s beef stew. With a trembling hand, he inched his fistful of toilet paper towards the spider. But no matter how hard he tried, his hand refused to let him squish the disgusting thing. It was as though the spider had erected a tiny, impenetrable forcefield. The spider raised its front legs, hair-thin appendages quivering in the air. It was mocking him. He steeled himself and took deep breaths. Hakuryuu Kija will not be defeated by a mere insect.

Readying himself for another direct assault against the eight-legged menace, his hand darted forward. However, his attack froze within millimeters of the spider. The spider observed the large ball of toilet paper with cool indifference and scuttled away with impunity. Curses! The spider has no fear. This calls for a different strategy.

After a bit of rummaging Kija procured a paper cup. The spider was still loitering about on the table when he returned. He all but slammed the cup directly on top of it. The enemy has been captured. Relief flooded every fibre of his being. Out of sight, out of mind. As he resumed his studies, he made a mental note to have Yun take care of it when he comes back.

 

**______________________________________________________________________________**

 

“I’m home!” Yun exchanged his shoes for his slippers at the door. 

“Welcome back.” Kija replied. Yun noted that the man’s voice sounded strained. Hopefully Kija had been taking regular breaks like he had recommended. Kija had a bad habit of doing things all in one go to the point that it exhausted him too much.

Nonetheless, Yun proceeded to set down his groceries on the kitchen counter. All in meticulous order, so that all food items can be sorted into their rightful place in the fridge. The next time he checked up on Ik-su he’ll have to make everyone’s meals in advance. Never again will his precious fridge be the final resting place for expired meat.

Yun turned, only to find Kija’s face uncomfortably close. Determined seriousness emanated from those ocean-blue eyes of Kija’s and Yun’s eyebrow began to twitch. Yun knew that look all too well.

The older man set his hands on Yun’s shoulders, his gaze unwavering, “I have a favour to-”

“No.” Yun interjected sharply. Call it instinct, but he just knew it was going to be a bothersome request.

“But I haven’t said anything yet!” Kija looked off to the side, and Yun could see pink beginning to blossom on the man’s pale skin.

After a brief moment of silence, Yun sighed. “Well? What is it?” he snapped irritably.

Kija positively glowed. “Ah, well you see. There’s this cup on the table,” he pointed towards it. Yun nodded. “I trapped a spider in there and I’d be very, very grateful if you took care of it for me.”

Understanding dawned upon him, “Such a bother. Kija, you’re a grown man! If you’re squeamish about squishing bugs you could have used bug spray.”

Kija’s eyes widened with admiration, “Yun, you really are a genius!”

“Of course,” agreed Yun proudly. “Is it a big one?” He went to the cup and had one of his slippers in hand. Kija placed himself behind him, a fair distance away from the cup.

“No.” Kija mumbled.

“Ah, so it was the poisonous sort.”

“No…” The older man avoided his eyes, his face flushed all over again.

Yun wore a deadpanned expression as he lifted the cup, slipper ready to strike. He tensed. There was no spider. He even checked inside the cup.

“Yun, is something the matter?” Out of the corner of his eye, Yun caught Kija looking anxiously at the cup in his hand.

“Nope.” He brought his slipper down hard on the table in a loud crack. “All done. No more spiders in the house.”

Kija was visibly relieved and thanked him profusely. The spider must have escaped somehow. If Yun hadn’t lied, the man wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink. Just knowing that anything with more than four legs was loose in the house would cause him to become paranoid, turning every single piece of furniture upside down in order to find the offending insect. Every. Single. Piece. When he thought about it, it really was incredible that such a squeamish man like Kija could have enough strength to turn over the entire house. Only that when Kija was finished he would have the longest nap to recuperate from all the worrying. As a result, Yun always had to ask Hak and Jae-ha to help put the furniture back in order afterwards. This was for the best.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter the spider that Yun lied about getting rid of makes a reappearance. How will big brother Jaeha deal with Kija?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaeha watched the flustered mess that was Kija as he leant against the doorframe. He stifled a laugh behind his hand. 
> 
> “Stop laughing! This is an emergency!” snapped an obviously irritated Kija.
> 
> Jaeha only laughed more. It delighted him to see the usually composed rich boy so red in the face that steam was practically coming out of his ears.

Kija awoke to a slight tickling in his throat. He had always been sensitive to dust, ever since he was a child. The room was long overdue for a good vacuuming, he thought, as he coughed away the tickling sensation.

Before he became curious about how normal people lived, he had always had servants to clean his room among other chores. Now, he found that he had to think for himself. Remember that food doesn’t just appear on the table without question. To appreciate washing machines, because clothes don’t clean themselves of grime and filth.

Caught in his reverie, he barely noticed something of substantial mass for a speck of dust flew past his lips. Blinking the remnants of sleep away from his eyes, Kija wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing. A small, blurry dot? There were these tiny things wiggling from it. Tiny filaments. Kind of like flagella on bacteria that he had seen in Yun’s medical books. He blinked. Sudden clarity jolted him from any remaining sleepiness. Hair-thin appendages, eight in total. It can only be one thing. And it was right there, dangling mere millimeters from his mouth.

It took all his self-control not to hyperventilate. The slightest breath would surely break that spider’s thread. He didn’t want to know if the spider was really in his throat moments before. The spider twirled at the end of its thread, reaching out with its limbs towards his lips. Yearning for the warmth that was his throat and to--No! He shall not allow such terrifying thoughts take form. His first plan was to scream for Jaeha. However, right now, opening his mouth was a dangerous prospect.  Instead Kija flailed his arms about, hoping to catch the attention of his only ally. This wouldn’t do. The sounds from his flailing wouldn’t be able to wake Jaeha at all. If only his arm could stretch and just tap Jaeha on the shoulder. An idea burst in his mind, like the creation of a small universe. Fumbling his hand along the bedside cabinet, he found the alarm clock. With as much accuracy as he could, Kija threw it in Jaeha’s direction. However, he used a little too much force and the clock shattered against the wall. Silence stretched. Come on, this had to work, thought Kija.

“Jaeha, wake up!” Kija thought desperately. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Jaeha was still fast asleep on the other side of the room. Jaeha’s back facing him, long green hair spilling over his shoulder. Unbelievable!

Maybe if he could get himself out from underneath the spider. Pressing his head to the pillow as much as he could, Kija shuffled to the left and shuffled to the right. Unfortunately, what little air current that produced only caused the spider to sway and follow his movements. How silly this all was. Trapped beneath a small spider as though restrained to his bed by iron chains. He had to be brave and just not think about that thing with way too many legs.

Most ungracefully, he rolled off his bed and plopped onto the ground in a tangled mess of limbs and blankets. He could almost hear Granny, “Young Master Kija! A man of your stature must be elegant and composed at all times!” Despite the racket, Jaeha didn’t stir from his sleep. Hurriedly, he sat up, head spinning towards the spider. Sure enough, the spider was slowly reeling itself back up towards the corner of the ceiling. So that’s where it lives. Kija hadn’t noticed the mass of webs camouflaged against the cream white walls.

Crawling over to Jaeha’s bedside, Kija was about to shake him awake when Yun’s face surfaced in his mind’s eye, “If you’re squeamish about squishing bugs you could have used bug spray.” That was Yun’s sage advice. Kija was not a man who forgot his lessons and it wouldn’t be right to depend on Jaeha all the time. He dashed out of the room in search of bug spray.

Thankfully, Jaeha had gone to have breakfast by the time Kija found his weapon of choice. Courage? Check. Bug spray? Check. Standing atop his bed, he reached up, poised for attack. Eyes quickly scanned the white mass that was the spider’s disgusting home, which was spun and woven in his room without permission. Kija thought insects were both rude and distasteful. Lacking the careful consideration of more intelligent creatures, such as humans. However, the target wasn’t sitting in the middle of its sticky webs like he expected.

A momentary stretch of silence expanded and imploded in on itself in a whirlwind of fear and panic. Kija began to tear apart his room. Furniture, clothes, bedding and other various household items hung in the air for a moment before crashing to the ground. The spider must be found at all costs!

 

__________________________________

  


Jaeha watched the flustered mess that was Kija as he leant against the doorframe. He stifled a laugh behind his hand.

“Stop laughing! This is an emergency!” snapped an obviously irritated Kija.

Jaeha only laughed more. It delighted him to see the usually composed rich boy so red in the face that steam was practically coming out of his ears.

That morning had been an interesting one. Long before Kija woke, he had gotten up to maintain his beautiful self. His regime included a brisk morning walk, brushing out knots from his hair (ever since he bought silk pillowcases Jaeha found a dramatic decrease of knots and split ends) and finally returning back to bed for a quiet moment of meditation before fully launching into a new day. Upon hearing all that racket generated by Kija, he had guessed it was some insect in the room. Furthermore, after he heard Kija dash out of the room, he sat up to find his blankets showered with expensive clock parts. He thought he felt some tiny plops while meditating. Oh, Kija was going to pay. Sure enough, when Jaeha had a good look at the corner above Kija’s bed there was a fine web of silk with a small spider nestled inside it. The spider’s expert craftsmanship was truly something to behold. Intricately woven, fine gossamer lace. Bright silver in the morning light with a slight iridescence glimmering in the shadows. It reminded him of Kija’s hair. Jaeha took out a bottle from one of his drawers and punched some small holes in the lid. Very carefully, he had gently coaxed the spider into the bottle.

And that very bottle was currently safe in his pocket.

It was fun watching Kija freak out and it was more than enough compensation for his blankets. However, Jaeha would have to face Yun’s wrath if he didn’t stop Kija from rearranging the entire house. So he strode into the room and stopped behind Kija.

“Kija! Don’t move!”

“I can’t! It has to be here somewhere. I have to find it!” Kija continued to rummage through the bookcase. Tearing out book after book.

“Don’t move! It’s dangerous. My god, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen!” Oh, he couldn’t resist after all, thought Jaeha. Unfortunately for Kija, this opportunity was all too inviting.

At that, Kija froze and all the books he had in his arms fell to the ground. His voice trembled “It’s on me, isn’t it?”

“Yea,” Jaeha slowly reached out his hand to Kija’s silvery hair. “We have to be careful, because it’s the poisonous kind.”

He flicked Kija’s hair, right behind his neck. This earned an unearthly scream from Kija as his body turned to jelly and fell to the ground on his knees. Jaeha couldn’t hold it in, his sides were in stitches from laughing so hard.

Crouching down to a traumatised Kija, he held the bottle out for inspection “Is this what you’re looking for?” Jaeha held the bottle out for Kija’s inspection. The spider didn’t seem all that bothered about its imprisonment. Or was it fear that kept it from moving around much? Jaeha was no spider whisperer, but he made a silent promise to give it a nice home if that was the case.

“Excellent, Jaeha! There’s still hope for you after all.” Kija made a grab for the bottle.

“Oh, I’m hurt! And you always say that we should respect our elders.” Jaeha held the bottle above his head.

“Hey! Give it here!” Blue eyes glared at him. Kija was clearly about to snap. When that happens, Kija could be a real monster. That offered a whole new spectrum of entertainment all on its own.

However, Jaeha resisted the urge to provoke the rich boy any further. Wrapping an arm around Kija’s shoulders, he thought carefully for a moment on how to calm him down. The fundamental problem here wasn’t the fact that Kija was deathly afraid of insects. It was how he reacted to them that was the problem.

“Kija, you can’t keep going like this. Rearranging the house like this isn’t beautiful. Yun would be mad.”

“But,” Kija hesitated, “Spiders…”

“Yun and I aren’t always home to help you with them. You don’t want to ask Hak for help, do you?” Jaeha said gently. “Put your hand out.”

At times Kija was surprisingly obedient, “Ok, why?”

Jaeha held Kija’s hand in his own, noting how soft and smooth it was. No doubt the mark of a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth. “We’re going to overcome your fear of insects. Starting with this little friend.”

“W-what?! N-n-n-no!”

That’s quite a stutter, thought Jaeha. Anyhow, he poured the small spider onto Kija’s open palm. Just to be safe, he grasped both of Kija’s hands firmly, but gently, to stop him from squashing the spider.

Now that the spider’s safety was ensured, Jaeha looked down at Kija’s face. His eyes were clamped shut, the beginnings of tears beaded at the corners of his eyes. Tiny droplets clung to his long lashes like morning dew. For a moment, Jaeha felt oddly proud of having such a beautiful roommate.

Slowly, Kija opened his eyes. They were coloured with fear and his radiant pale skin had turned to ash. Jaeha tried not to wince at the sharp nails digging into his skin. Kija’s hands were clenched around his in a death grip. Carefully, Jaeha guided Kija’s frightened hands in slow movements. Turning his hands this way and that way while the spider scuttled across his palms and frolicked over his pale knuckles. 

It was a long delicate process. They stayed like that for a while, him showing Kija how to play with the spider. Over time, the fear in Kija’s blue eyes faded a little and his hands were much more relaxed.

“Why don’t you give it a name?” Jaeha murmured.

Kija’s pale brow knitted together in thought, “Chiyo-chan.”

“Chiyo-chan! That’s cute.” Jaeha laughed.

By the time Jaeha decided it was safe to leave him alone, Kija was still playing with Chiyo-chan. A ghost of a smile on his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kija introduces Chiyo-chan to Shin-ah.

The colours of spring gave way to warm hues of autumn leaves. Shin-ah was lost in shades of gold on one particular leaf. A deep, but clear, golden yellow. He would have happily drowned in that one leaf all day. It was simply intoxicating. As he drank the golden whiskey hues with his eyes, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor. Light-footed, measured and refined footsteps.  

"That's a beautiful leaf you got there." Kija smiled brightly as he came to sit beside him. 

Though his face remained an expressionless mask, happiness bubbled up in his chest. Shin-ah was glad that Kija also saw how wonderful the leaf was. 

"Shin-ah, I want you to meet someone special." 

Cocking his head to the side, Shin-ah pondered about this new person. A new friend? Sitting quietly by the window, he waited patiently for this new person to appear. 

Instead of going to the door like Shin-ah expected, Kija lifted a finger to his hair. In amongst the starlight silver strands gilded with the slightest sheen of blue, there was a single hair that was unlike the rest. It was incredibly thin. Almost transparent with a rainbow of colours floating in that thin line. At the end of it was a small spider that obediently landed on Kija’s waiting finger. Shin-ah was very impressed. He had never seen a spider act like that before. Though he had seen videos of pet tarantulas that Jaeha used to leave open on the tablet to scare Kija. 

"Her name is Chiyo-chan!" Kija said proudly. With all the tenderness of a mother's touch, he set her down on the windowsill. 

“Pet?” asked Shin-ah. 

“Yes. Just like how Ao is your pet.” 

With that, Shin-ah understood how special and how much she meant to Kija. He knew that Kija only recently got over his fear of spiders, but he never expected it to turn into affection. All the same, he was glad for Kija.  Shin-ah watched Chiyo-chan intently. Committing every hair and every one of her eyes to memory. Even so, he wasn’t sure if he could tell Chiyo-chan apart from other spiders. Still, he would try his best.

As Chiyo-chan meandered along the grain of the wood, another spider appeared. It was black as jet with a graceful teardrop abdomen. Not to mention, it was twice as big as Chiyo-chan. Chiyo-chan on the other hand was small and dainty. 

Chiyo-chan seemed to pause in awe of this new spider. With all eight of her eyes she appeared to be looking at it with a certain intensity to her gaze. Suddenly, she moved. Zigzagging towards the larger spider following an unseen spiral path. At times she paused to lower her head and raise her front legs. At others she would wiggle her abdomen as she retreated, facing the other spider during the entirety of her special dance. The other spider seemed to be equally enthralled with Chiyo. Only looking at her. 

The dance continued in much the same way until Chiyo-chan reached the spider at the centre of the spiral. She caressed the spider’s jet body with her delicate legs and mounted it.

Shin-ah tapped Kija on the shoulder and pointed, "Not Chiyo-chan...Chiyo-kun."

“Oh! You're right! Sorry Chiyo-cha--I mean kun. I never knew.”

And so the spiders mated. Shin-ah knew that Kija was a huge fan of nature documentaries. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to watch spiders making love up close. It seemed a little rude to stare.

"Isn't nature beautiful? That's true love." Kija positively sparkled with joy. 

No sooner had Kija said that, the jet spider began to move in a disconcerting way. Odd twitches and strange movements that looked painful. Then she turned and plucked Chiyo-kun’s head like a ripe fruit.  

Blood drained from Kija’s face, making him several shades too pale. Shin-ah's arms shot out, ready to catch the traumatised Kija. Shin-ah panicked. Kija clearly loved Chiyo-kun like a child. But there was nothing Shin-ah could do to put Chiyo-kun back together and he was sorry. 

Raising a pale and trembling hand, Kija pointed accusingly at the spider cannibalising his beloved Chiyo-kun. "W-what are you doing?! That's not how love works!" Before Shin-ah could do anything, Kija got up abruptly to stop her. Tripping over his own unsteady feet, Kija was about to take a tumble out the window. Shin-ah quickly grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him back. While he recovered, Shin-ah shooed away the femme fatale.

Later that evening, they marked Chiyo-kun’s grave with a large piece of beach glass near the windowsill. Kija laid a small sprig of white flowers on it, but said not a word. Shin-ah patted Kija’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He wanted to say he was sorry about Chiyo-kun, but the words would never come to him. Instead, he took the golden leaf and laid it next to the little beach glass grave. 

From that day forward Kija never trusted spiders again. 


End file.
